The Impact of Engagement in Sport on Graduate Employability
Simon Shibli
Sheffield Hallam University
1. What we were asked to find out
1. Does sport impact positively on employment and
employability?
2. Do graduates recognise the impact of sport on
employability?
3. Does type of engagement in sport have an impact?
4. Do employers recognise the impact of sport on
employability?
5. Do universities value sport differently?
2. How we did it
1. Desk research on Active People and literature
2. 13 interviews with Vice Chancellors
3. 112 interviews with graduate employers
4. 5,838 interviews with graduates
A Quick Win?
Active People 6 Data
Graduate
31%
£39,778
Population
n = 155,853
£31,584
Not a
Graduate
69%
£27,742
Sport at least
once a week
53%
£42,640
Sport at least
once a week
38%
£32,656
No Sport
47%
£36,296
No Sport
62%
£24,648
Volunteer
£45,032
Volunteer
£30,576
Volunteer
£36,504
Volunteer
£36,296
Not a Volunteer
£42,328
Not a Volunteer
£24,440
Not a Volunteer
£35,880
Not a Volunteer
£32,136
Does sport impact positively on
employment and employability?
• Higher earnings
• Higher increases in career earnings
• Less likely to have experienced unemployment
Higher Earnings (1)
Cluster 1 – engagement in sport Salary
Variance from
average salary
Average salary £ 29,536 No
sport at university £ 26,728 - £ 2,808
Gym only £ 28,080 - £ 1,456
Sport including volunteering/managing £ 31,720 + £2,184
Sport excluding volunteering/managing £ 32,552 + £ 3,016
Higher Earnings (2)
Cluster 2 – sport and extra-curricular activities Salary
Variance from
average salary
Average salary £ 29,536 Gym
only, plus extra-curricular activities £ 26,624 - £ 2,912
Other extra-curricular activities only £ 26,728 - £ 2,808
No extra-curricular activities £ 27,248 - £ 2,288
Gym only, no other extra-curricular activities £ 29,744 + £ 208
Sport plus other extra-curricular activities £ 31,200 + £ 1,664
Sport only, no other extra-curricular activities £ 34,320 + £ 4,784
Higher Increases in Career Earnings
Cluster 1 – engagement in sport
Weighted
starting salary
Current
Relative growth
in Earnings
OVERALL £ 15,388 £ 29,536 £ 14,148
Gym Only £ 14,652 £ 28,080 £ 13,428
Sport including volunteering/managing £ 16,026 £ 31,720 £ 15,694
Sport excluding volunteering/managing £ 16,593 £ 32,552 £ 15,959
No sport at university £ 13,793 £ 26,728 £ 12,935
Higher Increases in Career Earnings
Cluster 2 – sport and extra-curricular
activities
Weighted
starting salary
Current
Relative growth
in Earnings
OVERALL £ 15,388 £ 29,536 £ 14,148
Gym only, no other extra-curricular £ 15,498 £ 29,744 £ 14,246
Sport only, no other extra-curricular £ 17,028 £ 34,320 £ 17,292
Sport plus other extra-curricular £ 15,708 £ 31,200 £ 15,492
Other extra-curricular only £ 13,206 £ 26,728 £ 13,522
Gym only, plus extra-curricular activities £ 14,347 £ 26,624 £ 12,277
No extra-curricular activities £ 15,714 £ 27,248 £ 11,534
Less likely to have experienced unemployment
Cluster 1 – engagement in sport % "Yes"
Gym only 28%
No sport at university 27%
Sport excluding volunteering / managing 24%
Sport including volunteering / managing 21%
Do graduates recognise the impact of sport
on employability?
• Skill development
• Greater productivity
• Causality?
Sport's contribution to skill development
Cluster 1 – engagement in sport
Overall
No
sport
Gym
only
Sport
+ vol
Sport
- vol
Good numeracy skills 0.71 0.68 0.62 0.90 0.70
Clear written communication 1.18 1.24 1.06 1.47 1.09
Using appropriate IT applications 0.73 0.72 0.70 0.92 0.67
Good time management 1.48 1.31 1.26 1.91 1.50
Organising, planning and coordinating 1.71 1.62 1.44 2.24 1.70
Good at solving problems 1.44 1.42 1.26 1.91 1.36
Ability to be creative, innovative 1.48 1.54 1.34 1.74 1.40
Ability to work as part of a team 1.98 1.77 1.64 2.46 2.09
Ability to lead / manage others 1.76 1.55 1.35 2.38 1.84
Good understanding of customer handling 1.12 1.11 0.95 1.51 1.05
Making a positive contribution 1.59 1.52 1.34 2.01 1.60
Skill development - rounded individuals?
Cluster 2 – sport and extra-curricular
activities
Overall
Gym
Only
Sport
Only
Sport
Plus
Other
Only
Good numeracy skills 0.71 0.53 0.52 0.87 0.67
Clear written communication 1.18 0.64 0.76 1.42 1.23
Using appropriate IT applications 0.73 0.58 0.46 0.88 0.72
Good time management 1.48 0.76 1.39 1.74 1.31
Organising, planning and coordinating 1.71 0.81 1.59 2.00 1.62
Good at solving problems 1.44 0.72 1.16 1.71 1.42
Ability to be creative, innovative 1.48 0.72 1.10 1.70 1.54
Ability to work as part of a team 1.98 0.98 2.08 2.26 1.77
Ability to lead / manage others 1.76 0.80 1.82 2.10 1.55
Good understanding of customer handling 1.12 0.59 0.87 1.35 1.11
Making a positive contribution 1.59 0.75 1.45 1.86 1.52
Causality?
"Engagement in sport at university had a
positive impact on my employability
skills/attributes?"
Level of Agreement / Disagreement %
Strongly Agree 19%
Agree 32%
Neither agree nor Disagree 30%
Disagree 12%
Strongly Disagree 6%
Total 100%
51%
18%
Causality?
Type of engagement Net agreement
Gym only -8
Overall +33
Sport excluding volunteering / management +44
Sport including volunteering / management +76
"Engagement in sport at university had a
positive impact on my employability
skills/attributes?"
How did sport have a positive impact?
Do employers recognise the impact of sport
on employability?
1. The role of sport in employability
2. Developing 'added value' through sports leadership
3. Using sport in job applications to show employability
What are employers looking for?
Team working Leadership
Motivation Organisational skills
Communication Energy
Confidence Resilience
Time management Competitiveness
Power words for applications
What employers are looking for compared to
student perceptions
Team working Leadership
Motivation Organisational skills
Communication Energy
Confidence Resilience
Time management Competitiveness
Power words for applications
Developing added value through sports
leadership
'My view is that engaging in sport could have some significant
benefits to candidates when making job applications.
If it was a team sport and the candidate was a captain or took
a leading role we would take this seriously as a non-academic
achievement.
It's a supporting factor alongside their application of having
taken the opportunity to practise and develop leadership skills.'
(Waitrose)
Using sport in job applications to show
employability
'I would say sport is one area of extra-curricular activity that
may indeed be viewed positively as a demonstration of team
work, leadership capabilities, community engagement, or
perhaps innovation, resilience or learning agility.'
Civil Service
'There are benefits in engaging in sport, provided students can
identify what those benefits actually are and use them
appropriately. '
Bond Dickinson LLP
Applications and jobs (answers 0-5)
Overall
Gym
only
Sport
+ vol
Sport
- vol
No
Sport
"I was able to use examples from
university extra-curricular
experiences in job applications"
3.37 3.23 4.13 3.53 2.95
"I use the skills developed from
extra-curricular activities at
university in my job"
3.18 3.04 3.88 3.35 2.79
Take home messages
Graduates
1. Supply and demand tells us that a degree is not enough.
2. Sport can provide a career return on investment
3. Competitive advantage means more than playing
Employers
1. Sport can provide many positive attributes that employers
are looking for notably team work and leadership skills.
2. Not just playing, the 'added value' comes from
organisational skills and taking on responsibility.
Universities
1. Sport is part of an overall 'experience package' which
includes participation, volunteering, management and
leadership activity.
2. The value of engaging in sport must be communicated to
those with a role in helping graduates into employment.
University sport - it REALLY matters